“Gaaah!”
It was the refreshing start of the day.
Outside, the air was filled with excited students laughing in high spirits.
Though I woke up a bit late, it seemed like I was leaving earlier than expected as I peeked my head outside the window.
All the students from grades one to four were boarding the carriages under the professors’ guidance. Seeing the long line of carriages, I could already tell the roads were going to be congested.
“Finally, a chance to relax after a long time!”
Today was the day we were heading to Bairn for the competition with Pales Academy. I had talked to the dean and got permission to skip out, so I could relax alone at the academy.
I thought I could use this time to catch up on my studies while enjoying a bit of peace.
By the way, all the fifth graders were currently on their field practice, so the academy was pretty empty.
Originally, the fifth graders were supposed to watch the competition after their practice ended, but I heard it was moved to now since many students got injured during winter.
I spotted May, who was busy lining up the students. She was glancing at my window, and when she saw me, she crossed her arms and wore a displeased expression.
She felt hurt that I wasn’t going with her, even after we had gone on dates over the weekend, and she was still sulking.
I waved my hand slightly and smiled, wishing her goodbye, but May huffed and cautiously waved back so no one else would see.
“Hah, should I go take a shower and get ready?”
After showering, I grabbed a book and stepped outside. Walking through the empty dormitory corridor, I entered the interior of the academy building.
I rarely got the chance to use such a large building alone, so I planned to focus and study today.
I hesitated for a moment between studying in the classroom or the library, but today I chose the library.
As soon as I stepped in, the musty smell of books completely awakened my brain.
Scritch scritch.
Scritch scritch.
The only sound was the rustling of my pen in the silence.
The library, though massive, was surprisingly a much better place to study than I expected.
It felt like I could come back later and still find it just fine.
“Hmm!”
Thanks to studying for several hours, I quickly caught up on my missed lessons. At this rate, I thought today would be enough.
“Maybe I should grab some lunch?”
I hadn’t eaten breakfast, and my stomach was quite hungry. Since there were no students around, the cafeteria wasn’t open, so I had to head out to get food, which was a hassle, but it also meant more options.
‘Should I just pack some food for dinner too?’
For that, I needed food that would still be decent when cold, so I contemplated as I returned to my room.
I needed to grab some clothes and my wallet.
Crreeeak.
As I opened the door and stepped inside, I saw a blonde woman kneeling in front of me, her forehead pressed to the floor.
“Welcome back, Master.”
Do you know that just appearing can stress someone out?
The important thing was that I didn’t even dislike her, but just her presence made my head throb.
I could already feel my peaceful life being ruined.
Plus, I noticed she was wearing some rope-like underwear, and I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me.
“Bertiaaaaaaa!”
I called out the name of Elise’s personal maid at the top of my lungs, but only the dorm echoed back. No answers, no signs of life.
Elise poked her head out and smiled, responding.
“I didn’t bring Bertia. No need for a guard with you around, Master.”
“You planned this on purpose, didn’t you?”
“Hehe, Bertia needs to take a break too.”
If Bertia were here, she would help me keep Elise in check. Knowing that, Elise must have deliberately left Bertia behind to come find me.
I regarded Elise as the worst kind of pervert in existence.
A pervert who was smart and cunning.
A pervert who had too much money.
A pervert with solid power behind her.
She seemed to hold true evil within the kingdom itself, and though her twisted preferences were only aimed at me, that was at least a relief for the kingdom.
“You’ll be living alone at the academy for about two weeks, right? I’ll wait on you!”
“I don’t need it!”
“Ah! Why not? Just imagine! In a place you could never do it normally, we could have a hot session! Where shall we start? The classroom? Gym? Library? Or maybe the rooftop or garden…!”
“Ugh, please!”
If asked who had remained absolutely unchanged since my return, without a doubt it would be Elise.
Rin was a little shy before but now openly threatens and warns me.
Eris, as I can tell, has gotten lighter on the job of being the Guardian of Yggdrasil and is now diligently pursuing her desires instead. I recently sent her home to rest due to her pregnancy.
Most others had changed quite drastically, but not Elise.
She was just as crazy as before.
“Aren’t you busy or something?”
Being the Third Princess gives her a moderate position and also allows her to help her siblings, so she was actually one of the busiest among our crew.
Maybe Han-yun and Tana, who were busy with their businesses, were next in line?
“I also need to rest sometimes. I can’t let such a rare opportunity slip away.”
Elise stood up cheerfully.
How could the area of her clothing be smaller than the area of exposed skin from her killing intent? My brows furrowed involuntarily.
“Put on some clothes. Otherwise, I’ll kick you out.”
“You’ve never been one to like that kind of thing, Master.”
She grumbled, seemingly aware, while she started putting on the clothes she had set aside.
“Usually, guys would jump right at me in a situation like this and do all sorts of wild things to me on the bed all night.”
“……”
“Seriously. I brought a lot of preparations with me today!”
Elise started to pull something from the bag behind her, and seeing the whip sticking out, I warned her to put it back.
“Have you eaten?”
“No, I’ve been waiting.”
“……Let’s just go eat then.”
“Just a moment! Let me disguise myself!”
Since she was a princess, her face was somewhat known, so Elise quickly disguised herself and we headed out together for food.
Being a princess, she didn’t require anything extravagant or particularly picky about her food, so we could eat casually and come back.
On the way back, we bought some light ice cream and while eating, I asked Elise casually.
“Isn’t it really dangerous for you to be out like this without a guard, even with me around?”
“Huh? The strongest on the continent is here guarding me, so what’s the problem?”
“Assassination skills and combat skills are a different matter, you know.”
“You’ve worked as a Sherpa before; you’ve escorted clients through the Forest of the Demon Realm. No need to be so humble.”
“……This is just me not wanting to be alone with you.”
“I know.”
Is this what it means to be a princess? She spoke with a completely unfazed expression, finishing her ice cream before asking.
“So, what are you going to do next?”
“Study.”
I wanted to catch up on my lessons today so I could relax for the remaining days, and I answered firmly to ensure that Elise wouldn’t mess with my thoughts, yet unexpectedly, she replied differently.
“Great! I’ll help you!”
“Uh?”
“I’ve helped you before, remember?”
“Ah.”
I recalled that time before the field trip when I was struggling with my grades and needed help from Eve or Rin.
“……But you didn’t help! Bertia taught me.”
She was busy having fun playing card games with the others behind me, if I remembered correctly.
But Elise boldly shrugged her shoulders in a nonchalant manner.
“Bertia helping was me helping you!”
With that, I had no more comebacks.
“Don’t worry too much. If I help, it’ll end quickly.”
“I’ll tell you in advance; if you show up in weird clothes to seduce me, I’ll kick you out immediately.”
“Are you talking about professor and student play? I’d like to try that play sometime, but back then I’d want to be the student and feel pressured by the professor for grades.”
“……Forget it.”
If Elise intended to go down some weird path, I thought I could just kick her out right away.
“It’s fine. As long as you understand the process, it’ll be quick. You’re smart, so once you grasp the structure, the other problems will be easy.”
“Hmm, you’re good at difficult problems, but you make little mistakes on easy ones. I think it’s best to solve them and check once more afterward.”
“This part is crucial. Hm? Just as I thought. Teaching you one thing, and you immediately applied it!”
Listening to Elise teach me felt oddly awkward as she seemed so normal compared to how I expected her to be. Well, thanks to her, we finished quickly.
‘Did she plan this all along?’
Was she trying to finish studying quickly so she could think about other things afterward?
It certainly felt like a crafty scheme.
“We’re done! Good job!”
“Uh, thanks.”
As I stretched after closing my book, Elise smiled brightly, claiming she felt refreshing, looking different from usual, which felt strange, but I didn’t dislike it.
“You’re tired, right? Go wash up and sleep. I won’t bother you today.”
“……Is that for real? You won’t come in while I’m showering?”
“Oh come on, I swear I won’t! Just sleep well.”
“Are you sure you won’t come in? I already had that happen once and I’m being extra careful!”
That trick was already played by Sen.
Elise chuckled and waved her hand casually in response.
“No, I’m just considering your exhaustion.”
“Sounds suspicious……”
“Well, can I at least ask for one request?”
Elise smiled sweetly as she spoke. I felt the moment had come, so I swallowed hard before replying.
“Go ahead.”
What fearsome request would she make this time?
“Could you let me rest my head on your arm while I sleep?”
“Uh?”
I felt like I’d been hit in the chest with a hammer. Elise, blushing and speaking shyly, seemed so new and appealing to me.
“Y-Yeah.”
“Hooray! Thank you! I’ll go wash up! I’ll clean up in another room!”
“Uh, yeah.”
Seeing her happily glowing face made me realize there were sides to Elise I hadn’t known until now, and I left somewhat hesitant and nodded as I stepped outside.
*
As Daniel left the library, Elise watched him go with a pleased smile.
“Looks like it really worked!”
It worked like a charm!
Exactly as May, Eve, Eris, and Sen had told her!
“Master pushes back if I cling to him directly, but if I approach him naturally like this, he opens up! Oh, this is easy!”
Jumping with joy, Elise vowed,
“For these next two weeks, I’ll definitely capture Master’s heart.”
She had various goals.
Binding, outdoors, whips, and so on.
Quite a few options were available.
She was determined to use every tool she brought at least once.
Most importantly, she wouldn’t put them in his hand forcefully like before; she wanted Daniel to take them willingly.
“Muahaha!”
Elise cackled cunningly as she dreamed up her plans.
“……Just thinking about it makes me a little wet.”
Feeling a bit embarrassed, but ah well, I’ll just shower afterward.
